Home Edition 12

If you have plans to build a new home, remodel your

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Thursday, September 20, 2012Sections C & D

We proudly present our 2012 Home

Edition featuring several Humboldt

area building and remodeling

projects to give you inspiration!

TThursdayy,, Septp ember 20,, 2012

Pat and Barb Colwell Pat and Barb Colwell

new additionnew addition

Mitch and Chantel Fridolfson

Mitch and Chantel Fridolfson

new duplexnew duplex

Ken and Connie Hutchinson Ken and Connie Hutchinson gardengarden

Bruce and Sandy Kirchhoff

Bruce and Sandy Kirchhoff new additionnew addition

Gary and Sonja Peyton new homeGary and Sonja Peyton new home

Todd and Nicole LeeTodd and Nicole Lee

new decknew deck

Kevin and Paula Skow Kevin and Paula Skow new homenew home

Michelle Boyington Michelle Boyington remodelremodel

2C The Humboldt Independent Thursday, September 20, 2012

By Jeanne Raine In the summer of 2011, Mitch and Chantel Fridolfson began building a new home on 15th Street North in Hum-boldt. They purchased the vacant lot, knowing that its proximity to the river would be a plus. However, instead of building one home, they de-cided to build a duplex as an

The Fridolfson duplex located on 15th Street North.

Mitch and Chantel Fridolfson in the kitchen of their new home.

investment for their future. The homes are slab con-struction. They feature two bedrooms on the main fl oor, with one bedroom and an of-fi ce/den on the upper fl oor. No steps can be found at the front or back door. The Fridolfson home also features a good amount of storage.

Fridolfsons build new home

See Fridolfsons, 3C

Dining room Dining room of the Fridolfson of the Fridolfson duplex.duplex.

Choose your battles When merging belongings you may not agree with each other every step of the way, but it’s not worth picking a fi ght. Choose what is most important to you so your protests carry more weight.

For example, it’s okay to put your foot down when it comes to painting an entire room a color you detest, but it may be better to let it go if you’re talking about the color of the bathroom rug. Likewise, let your spouse

have his or her way when you recognize what is mean-ingful to them. You may hate the rocking chair in your liv-ing room, but if it belonged to your spouse’s great-great-grandmother, you better learn to love it.

Decorating tip for newlyweds

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Thursday, September 20, 2012 The Humboldt Independent 3C

“I had an idea of what I wanted,” said Mitch. “I found something close to my idea

The den or offi ce of the Fridolfson home.

and then modifi ed it.” In order to keep the costs of construc-tion to a minimum, Mitch also

did the electrical, plumbing and heating himself. One of the most unusual el-

ements of the Fridolfson side of the duplex is the stamped, stained, and heated concrete fl oor. The in-fl oor heat uti-lizes heat packs, installed by Mitch. “We really enjoy the fl oor,” said Mitch. “It’s nice waking up on cold winter mornings and being able to put your feet on the warm fl oor.” The U-shaped kitchen con-tains custom built, multi-level

oak cabinets. “I like the way we designed it to accommo-date our needs,” said Chantel. “We wanted an open fl oor plan, and that’s what we have.” The kitchen is staffed with stainless steel appli-ances. There is an abundance of counter space, with a large sink built into the island/bar area. The counters are covered

with a high defi nition lami-nate countertop. Tile covers areas below the cupboards and above the counters. All doors and drawers of the cupboards are slow close. The adjoining home is sim-ilar to the one in which the Fri-dolfsons now live. However, the patio is larger, and there is

Fridolfson from 2C

Open fl oor plan is a true benefi t of the Fridolfson home.

The living room of the Fridolfson home looks to the patio.

The fl oor of Fridolfson home is stained, stamped and heated.

See Fridolfson, 4C

It’s time for raking leaves, pruning shrubbery, and other seasonal fall lawn care tasks. Never has the old adage “work smarter, not harder” been more apt than when tack-ling yard work and preparing lawns for next season. Here are some smart ways to handle fall lawn care: Good posture can prevent backaches when raking leaves. Keep your head up and back straight. Relieve back pressure by raking using the “scissors” stance: whereby you place one foot forward and the other back, reversing position after several minutes. When mow-ing, move the mower with your body weight as much as possible, rather than relying on your arms and back. And use ergonomically designed rakes, shears and pruners that require less hand strength than tradi-tional ones. Put away the loud, smelly leaf blower. Nothing is worse than raking leaves on a windy day, only to have them blown around. Rake leaves onto a tarp and drag it away. You can easily clip handles to it to make it easier to haul when full of leaves. Remem-ber, dragging leaves away is easier on your back and envi-ronmentally friendly. Weeding can be made less painful if you adhere to the old gardener’s trick of weeding after it rains. When earth is dry, it’s harder to pull out the whole weed with-out breaking off the top. After rainfall, the ground is damp, making it easier to pluck out entire weeds. This way, weeds can easily be added to leaves and other debris that need to be hauled away. Remember, fall is your last chance to put your lawn in order before next season’s warm weather.

Easier fall lawn care

Owning a home is a 365-day-a-year commitment, a mortgage to pay, a yard to maintain and bills to juggle. But experts say that evaluating key exterior elements of your home at least once annually can prevent some bills from skyrocketing. If your roof is damaged by severe weather or is old and leaking, investing in a new roof made of durable polymer slate or shake tiles will pay off for decades to come. For exterior trim pieces,

swap out wood trim that is sus-ceptible to rotting and insect infestation with urethane and PVC trim products. For functional areas of the home, like windows and doors, use solidly-constructed, man-made products. A recent report on return-on-investment and home repair, the “Remodeling 2011–12 Cost vs. Value Re-port” (www.costvsvalue.com), shows that replacing older, in-effi cient windows with upscale vinyl windows is one of the 10

most popular projects with payback for homeowners, and has a higher projected return-on-investment than several other popular home upgrade projects, including bathroom remodels or additions, major kitchen remodels or the addi-tion of a master suite.

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4C The Humboldt Independent Thursday, September 20, 2012 The master bathroom of the Fridolfson home features much storage space.

Main bathroom of the Fridolfson home.

less yard space. The cabinetry is darker. Though still heated, the fl oor is tiled rather than stamped. A fi replace will even-tually be added to this side of the duplex. Mitch, son of Fred and Deb Fridolfson, graduated from Humboldt High School in 2004. Chantel, daughter of Roger Carlson and Crick-ette Pederson, graduated in 2007. Although they had known each other for quite

some time, they met again at an Iowa/Iowa State game. They married on Sept. 17, 2011. This dynamic pair has cre-ated two beautiful homes in a beautiful setting. Having completed much of the work themselves, Mitch and Ch-antel take great pride in their home. The open fl oor plan, the heated fl oors, the ample stor-age space, and the large rooms insure easy living for years to come.

Fridolfson from 3C

The large spare bedroom on the fi rst fl oor of the home of Mitch and Chantel Fridolfson.

Bright color splashes can be found in the master bed-room of the Fridolfson home.

Not all home decorating ideas require a big investment of time and money. If you’re looking for a quick and affordable home interior decorating idea to freshen up a room, try this one. Rearrange the furniture: Pull your furniture away from the walls. Try positioning it at intriguing angles. For example, a sofa arranged diagonally across a narrow living room will make the room look wider.

Decorating idea

New technology in your home can sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed by gizmos and gadgets. But if you choose your technol-ogy wisely, you can simplify your domestic life rather than clutter your living space with products you don’t use. Here are two simple ways technology can help you streamline your home:

Control atmosphere The ability to control your environment is vital to one’s comfort level. You may al-ready have a programmable thermostat, but did you know that the latest models come with Wi-Fi, allowing you to control your home’s climate from your mobile device? Not only that, modern ther-mostat models are so smart, they learn your living patterns and set a schedule for you ac-cordingly. Improve communication Everyone is quick to jump at the latest mobile devices when they become available, but when was the last time you updated your landline tele-phone? New developments in landline technology are mak-ing your home phone easier and more convenient to use. Consider swapping out your older telephone in favor of a modern device with high functionality. For example, Panasonic’s new Link2Cell models allow you to make and receive cell phone calls using your cordless telephone system via Bluetooth technol-ogy, whether or not you have landline service. You can even transfer contacts from your mobile phone to the Panasonic cordless handset so you can easily dial your stored num-bers. Synching a mobile phone with your landline allows you to place your cell anywhere in the house that provides the best reception and still roam freely on your landline’s cord-less handset. You’ll also have far better sound quality and peace of mind knowing you won’t miss an important call.

Two ways new technology can make your home life easier

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By Phil Monson When Todd and Nicole Lee moved to their residence at 9 River Oaks fi ve and one-half years ago, it provided the best of both worlds. Perched on a hill in the northeast corner of the neigh-borhood, the Lee family has a taste of country living with the east fork of the Des Moines River just 100 yards away, and yet a paved road and quick access to all the amenities of-fered in town. But the hilly location lacked fl at, outdoor living space that the family also desired. After extensive research and

Todd and Nicole Lee and two of their children, Christian (lower left) and Reagan, enjoy their ex-pansive back yard with the completion of their new deck. Independent photo.

hours of labor over nearly two years of working on the proj-ect, the Lees are enjoying 800 square feet of new decking that surrounds their home. “I started work on the deck in the fall of 2010. I got some of the framework and basic stuff up before winter. I worked on the project that winter and continued in the spring, sum-mer and fall of 2011. I worked on it after hours between foot-ball games, baseball games and track meets. I fi nished it up in the spring of 2012,” Todd said. “It wasn’t exactly a quick process. But I did it all by my-

self. It took a while, but I did it the way I wanted it and I’m happy with how it turned out,” Todd said. Instead of going with the traditional cedar wood for the deck, the Lees opted to use lat-est composite material. While most costly, the simulated wood material provides the natural look with long-lasting life and little maintenance and upkeep. “We used composite mate-rials instead of the traditional cedar wood. Nicole and I had looked at some different op-tions. We researched it quite a

New deck enhances Todd, Nicole Lee home

Nicole (left) and Todd Lee used their creativity in designing and building their new deck surround-ing their home located at River Oaks in Humboldt. Independent photo.

See Lee, 6C

Prepping a house for sale. Sellers want their home to sell fast and bring top dollar. Here is how to prep a house and turn it into an irresistible and market-able home. 1. Disassociate yourself with your home. Make the mental de-cision to “let go” of your emo-tions and focus on the fact that soon this house will no longer be yours. Picture yourself hand-ing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners! Don’t look backwards, look toward the fu-ture. 2. De-personalize. Pack up personal photographs and fam-ily heirlooms. Buyers can’t see past personal artifacts, and you don’t want them to be distract-ed. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls. 3. De-clutter! People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven’t used it in over a year, you probably don’t need it. If you don’t need it, why not donate it or throw it away? Remove all books from bookcases. Pack up knickknacks. Clean off every-thing on kitchen counters. Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use. Think of this process as a head start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway. 4. Rearrange bedroom clos-ets and kitchen cabinets. Buy-ers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. 5. R ent a storage unit. Al-most every home shows bet-ter with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around. 6. Remove/replace favor-ite items. If you want to take window coverings, built-in ap-pliances or fi xtures with you, remove them now. If the chan-delier in the dining room once belonged to your great grand-mother, take it down. If buyers never see it, they won’t want it. Once you tell them they can’t have an item, they will covet it, and it could blow your deal. Pack those items and replace them, if necessary. 7. Make minor repairs. Re-place cracked fl oor or counter tiles. Patch holes in walls. Fix leaky faucets. Fix doors that don’t close properly and kitch-en drawers that jam. Consider painting your walls neutral col-ors. Replace burned-out light bulbs. If you’ve considered re-placing a worn bedspread, do so now! 8. Make the house sparkle! Wash windows inside and out. Rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks and ex-terior. Clean out cobwebs. Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks. Polish chrome faucets and mir-rors. Clean out the refrigerator. Vacuum daily. Wax fl oors. Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fi xtures. Bleach dingy grout. Replace worn rugs. Hang up fresh towels.Bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows. Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odors are a no-no.

9. Scrutinize. Go outside and open your front door. Stand there. Do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you? Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer. Examine carefully how furni-ture is arranged and move piec-es around until it makes sense. Make sure window coverings hang level. Tune in to the room’s state-ment and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and piz-zazz? Does it look like nobody lives in this house? 10. Check curb appeal. If buyers won’t get out of their realtor’s car because they don’t like the exterior of your home, you’ll never get them inside. Keep the sidewalks cleared. Mow the lawn. Paint faded win-dow trim. Plant yellow fl owers or group fl owerpots together. Yellow evokes a buying emo-tion. Marigolds are inexpensive. Trim your bushes. Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.

How to prepare your house for sale

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A back yard view of the Todd and Nicole Lee home located at River Oaks. Independent photo.

Lee from 5C

Christian and Reagan Lee enjoy the back yard of their home in Humboldt. Inde-pendent photo.

Nicole Lee (center) and two of her children, Reagan (left) and Christian, enjoy the backyard fl ower beds at their home. Independent photo.

See Lee, 7C

bit,” Todd said. “The compos-ite stuff was quite a bit more expensive.” “We were learning toward going with cedar decking or a treated cedar wood. But af-ter I saw a neighbor down the street put in a lot of time power washing, staining and sealing his deck, it looked like it took him a long time doing all of that,” Todd said. “To this day, that steered me toward going with composite material. I knew watching him do that, I didn’t want to be do-ing that,” Todd said. “As big as our deck is, that would be very time-consuming,” Nicole said. “It wraps around the whole entire house.” “Our home is built on a hill. There is no fl at place on this lot,” Todd said. “The house sits on high ground. But as you look out the back yard, there is

a gully that runs towards the south to the river,” Todd said. “When we bought the house, Todd probably liked it more than I did because of the lot and the wooded area out back. The downfall I had about this place was the lack of yard for having fl owers. There were no fl ower beds. The deck kind of helped provide fl ower beds and Todd did landscaping that tied it all in together to make me happy,” Nicole said with a laugh. “I gave her plenty of oppor-tunities to have her fl owers,” Todd said. “There are fl ower beds lo-cated all around the house,” Nicole said. “We just fi nished landscaping in June.” “We have landscaping and tiers of block that provide for fl owers. We had to stair step it because nothing is fl at on this

Nobody enjoys honey-do lists. Nobody wants to spend their entire weekend re-roofi ng a house or fi xing the kitchen sink. So the tendency is to let these projects go, put them off, procrastinate. There’s al-ways that age-old philosophy: there’s nothing to do today that can’t wait until tomorrow. And it’s not because you’re lazy, but more because of the exact opposite: in this busy day and age our to-do lists always run-neth over. However, these are necessary chores that have to be taken care of right away. It’s a responsibility that comes with owning a house. Don’t think of this advice as a guilt-trip, but instead a fi rm warning for the future. The problem won’t just go away. And the more you sit on home repairs, the worse these problems are going to get. And this means that more time and money will eventually have to be spent to put right what was once a quick and affordable fi x. There are several reasons we put off home repairs, but try not to let these excuses get in the way. Here are some common ways we postpone the inevitable and some ad-ditional tips about how to get around these rationalizations: “It’s not a big deal!” Yes, it is and you know it. It’s easy to be forced into fi xing your home. Believe it, when that furnace breaks down in the middle of a cold winter night, you’ll be calling that HVAC guy ASAP. But don’t let it get to that point. Avoid that incon-venience and shelling out big bucks after the fact. Stop the problem early and you’ll never have to deal with future disas-ters. “I didn’t know it was bro-ken!” A lot of problems do go unnoticed because they’re hidden from view: on top of roofs, inside the walls, up in

the attic. This is why you have to occasionally inspect your house to make sure things are running well, and if you don’t know what to look for then hire a trained inspector to look things over. If you’re having trouble with your toilet, call the plumber, and while he’s there have him look over other areas of the house to make sure everything is up to snuff.

Take care of those nag-ging problems! Prevention is the best solution. Home repair doesn’t just refer to things that are broken; it also means keep-ing things in proper working order. No machine, device, or structure runs forever. For in-stance, you have to take your car in for oil changes every few months. You have to ro-tate your tires every so often. Well, the same goes for your house: continual maintenance is key to sustaining an effi cient household.

“I don’t know how!” Of course you don’t. Not all of us are trained craftsmen, and sometimes the simplest chores end up being the most compli-cated. That’s why how-to man-uals exist. If you don’t have time to read the instructions, then ask a friend or family member with some know-how to help you out. Or if you don’t want to impose on anyone, this is why contractors exist.

“I don’t know who to con-tact!” It’s called the Yellow Pages. But once you open up to the home repair section, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of professionals out there. That’s why pre-screen-ing is essential. This could be a close fam-ily or friend recommending someone to you. Here are some questions to keep in mind as you’re comparing pro-fessionals: Is he/she trained and trusted? Are they near your location? Do they guar-antee their work?

Home repairs: maybe they’ll just go away, right?

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Lee from 6C

Todd and Nicole Lee enjoy some of the outdoor space they have added onto their home at River Oaks in Humboldt.

A view of the large deck surrounding the Todd and Nicole Lee home in Humboldt, located at River Oaks. Independent photo.

lot,” Todd said. “It was kind of challenging to do some of it.” Todd readily admits the sense of accomplishment he has with the project now com-plete. “I’m glad I didn’t get paid by the hour. I wouldn’t want to know how many total hours I put into the project,” Todd said. “Todd is a perfectionist. He had many offers of help from others, but he did it all by him-self,” Nicole said. “He likes things done a certain way. And if it wasn’t he would rip it up and start over.” “I have a limited back-ground in construction. So I bought a couple of books and did some reading and educated myself before starting out,” Todd said. “We hired some-body to come with a Bobcat to dig the footing holes. I started

mixing bags of concrete, got those holes fi lled in and went from there,” Todd said. “It was a challenge to get the base poles level to start with in that steep area behind the house.” “Todd researched the proj-ect real thorough,” Nicole said. “Underneath the deck he built a paver patio that adds to it.” “That provides usable space down below the deck space as well,” Todd said. “The kids use the added space quite a bit. Our oldest son, Ryan, has friends over and that space works well for entertaining,” Nicole said. “The paver patio is good-sized, too. Probably 600 square feet,” Todd said. Todd and Nicole say the new deck is a vast improve-ment over what they previ-ously had. “When we moved here,

there was a rickety deck in place,” Nicole said. “The people who built the house and lived here before us, they had a job opportunity that necessitated them to move to Missouri,” Todd said. “The deck was not fi nished and it was in the material we had not chosen. So at that time we thought we had to do some-thing to fi nish it off. We de-cided to tear it down and start over,” Nicole said. “The way the house is built, it is designed to have a deck built around it,” Todd said. “The ledger board that you at-tach everything to was already there. They had intentions of doing something similar to what we did, but they weren’t allowed to do so.” Todd also added a little ex-tra to the deck on the northeast corner.

“Design-wise, I had an idea in my head. On the north end there is an octagon-shaped extension to the deck that I added after I got started, be-cause I didn’t want it to look too plain or square,” Todd said. “I thought it needed something to draw the eye.” “I added a star design into the decking outside the back glass door. Because of the size, I wanted to add that on to help break it up. Provide a focal point,” Todd said. “There were some tweaks along the way. Basically I knew when I started what I wanted to do,” Todd said. “Todd did a lot of landscap-ing at our home when we lived in town. Out here, he kept say-ing to me, ‘am I ever going

to be done? You keep adding more for me to do?’ Now I’m doing another fl ower bed with roses,” Nicole said, laughing. “We’re coming to an end. I think.” “I would think so,” Todd said with a laugh. Todd and Nicole are both Humboldt natives. Todd is employed with Humboldt County as Conser-vation director. Nicole is em-ployed as a nurse with Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge. She has been em-ployed there for 15 years. She is a nurse case manager. They have three children. Ryan is age 17 and will be a senior at Humboldt High School in the fall. Christian is age eight, and will be in sec-

ond grade this fall. Reagan is age seven and will be attend-ing fi rst grade. “I really enjoy it out here. We’re close to town but it is like living in the country. We have good neighbors. I enjoy seeing the wildlife in the back yard. I have no regrets about moving out here,” Todd said. “We all enjoy it out here. It gives the kids more room to run and play. We have a big yard and plenty of space for them,” Nicole said. “We have good neighbors and there are kids who are our kids’ ages nearby. I feel secure or safe with them out here,” Todd said. And now with their new deck in place, their home is complete.

Americans generate a lot of garbage; and while recycling is on the rise, most families can do more to reduce the waste they create. This season, strive to go greener. Some simple organi-zational tips can help you get started. The best way to cut down on the garbage you create is to never generate the waste in the fi rst place. Start by organizing your fi nances online. Elec-tronic bank statements and bill payments are a fast, secure and earth-friendly alternative to paper statements. Consider putting a stop to catalogs and junk mail. Most companies allow you to order straight from their websites. Not only will you be eliminat-ing paper waste, you’ll be re-ducing the amount of energy needed for mail delivery. Recent research by the American Dietetic Association shows that 83 percent of work-ing Americans typically eat in and around their workspaces. But if you’re transporting your food in single-use bags or wrapping paper, your midday meal is creating more waste than necessary. Make going green convenient by opting for reusable containers that ef-fi ciently use the space in your

lunch box or bag. Organizing your storage spaces can be an enlightening experience, especially if you haven’t done so in a long time. Not only are you likely to dis-cover you have a lot of stuff you don’t need, you’ll also learn you have a lot of stuff you don’t want. Instead of tossing your duds in the landfi ll, sort out what is usable and donate those clothes, toys, books, and knick-knacks that you’ve out-grown to a secondhand store or charity. This exercise will en-courage you to be more mind-ful when making questionable purchases in the future. Re-member, today’s impulse buy is tomorrow’s garbage. Clearly mar king your recy-cling bins will encourage the members of your household, as well as guests to recycle. Consider adding a recycling bin to every level of your home, so there will be no ex-cuses to throw recyclables into garbage cans. Post information about what can be recycled in a central location, like your re-frigerator. Doing your part for the planet starts at home. By get-ting organized this season, you can reduce your contributions to your local landfi ll.

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By Jeanne Raine Late in 2010, Ken and Con-nie Hutchinson purchased the property at 412 Fifth Street South from Jim and Mary Nemzek, who were moving to Minnesota. Connie loved the house, which was built in 1916. With its high mop-boards, wooden fl oors, roomy interior, and excellent condi-tion, Connie knew it would be

Jim Nemzek prepares the soil for his garden.

The Nemzek garden with the gravel paths completed.

The Nemzeks only got the outer raised beds in the fi rst year, but were able to plant in them.

The Nemzeks prepare to add more raised beds. A raspberry bed is toward the front and street side. An asparagus bed is along the backside (west).

The greenhouse and perennial fl owerbed in the Nemzek’s garden.

Jim Nemzek stands in the completed garden.

a great home for the Hutchin-sons. Ken also saw the prom-ise of living in the home, but more than the house, he fell in love with the garden. Jim and Mary Nemzek purchased the South Fifth Street property in 1996 from the Halversons. They spent a great deal of time updating and refurbishing the home. A few years later, they also pur-

chased a small house adjacent to the property. The Nemzeks enlisted the help of Bob and Joey Krug to remove the small house from the property in 2006. The land was then lev-eled and barren. Because Mary enjoyed “digging in the dirt,” the Nemzeks purchased a small greenhouse and placed it on

Hutchinsons love new garden

See Hutchinson, 9C

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the north side of the new property. There, Mary planted seedlings and nursed along in-fant plants of species unavail-able in the area. At this point Jim and Mary decided to plant a garden on the property. “I’m a farm girl at heart,” said Mary. “I like to work in the dirt; it’s therapeu-tic. This became our own per-sonal little farm. I loved it.” The garden was a slow process, which took a lot of planning and a lot of labor. Mary would often sit upstairs in their home, looking over the balcony, dreaming and mak-ing plans for the garden. Jim did the manual work to make sure Mary’s dreams became a reality. At fi rst the property con-tained only a greenhouse and a small shed for the garden tools. The shed was built by master carpenter Erland Nel-son. In order to keep animals out of the area, the Nemzeks built a six-foot tall, 250 run-ning foot cedar fence in 2007. Jim also dug an 18 inch deep trench installed one-half inch wire fencing. It was attached to the bottom of the fence to discourage animals such as rabbits, gophers, moles, and voles. Jim stained all of the boards. A load of railroad ties was the means for Jim to create raised beds for the vegetables. With the help of William Schaffer and Jim’s little red cart, Jim moved in railroad ties to raise the proposed beds. He created paths through the gar-den using landscape fabric and 25 tons of gravel to keep the weeds at bay. “We were very careful about what we put in the gar-den area,” said Mary. “The Krugs brought in some won-derful topsoil.” Jim, again with the help of his little red cart, brought horse manure from the fairgrounds to fertilize the crops. “We were careful to put the correct ratio of dirt and or-ganic materials with no chemi-cals,” said Mary. “I am a great reader, so I would discover these needs through my read-ing.” “In 2007, we planted the fi rst raised beds around the perimeter and the fl owerbeds on the walkway to the green-house,” said Jim. “We planted fl owers that were known to attract certain butterfl ies and bees needed for the pollination of our plants.” We also put in cover crops to enrich the soil. Outside of the raised beds the Nemzeks planted aspara-gus beds on the west and two rows of raspberries on the south and east. Finally in 2009, the Nemze-ks planted the inner beds of the garden with vegetables. They harvested several plants and replanted their garden in 2010, rotating their vegetable crops. “We got a tremendous amount of produce from that garden,” said Mary. “It was all we could possibly use and then some.” The Nemzeks continued to add to their garden in 2010 when they began a grape ar-bor. However, the grape shoots had only taken root when the property was sold to Ken and Connie Hutchinson. Ken and Connie have con-tinued the vision of Jim and Mary Nemzek. Ken relishes his time in the garden, plant-ing, weeding, and enjoying the art of growing plants. He

The Hutchinson garden. The Hutchinson garden produced well.

also continues Jim and Mary’s commitment to keep the gar-den organic, making use of a double compost pile and no spraying. He has added pots of marigolds to keep certain bugs away from the plants. Ken appreciates the raised beds and limestone pathways. “After a rain, I can still work in the garden as I don’t have to step in the mud,” said Ken. After Mary’s dreams, Jim’s labor, and Ken’s caring con-tinuance of the plan, the gar-den on Fifth Street South is a special space which has been enjoyed by the Nemzeks, the Hutchinsons, and anyone else lucky enough to step through the garden gate.

Hutchinson from 8C

Not all home decorating ideas require a big investment of time and money. If you’re looking for a quick and afford-able home interior decorating idea to freshen up a room, try this one. Lay an area rug: An area rug is a wonderful way of defi ning a conversation area. Try one that complements the room. Lay it at an angle be-neath your coffee table.

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By Jeff Gargano Bruce and Sandy Kirchhoff spend most of their time in a recently completed sun room addition at their home along the west branch of the Des Moines River. Other than a patch of dirt they plan to seed to grass this

The back side of the Kirchhoff home on 9th Street South.

Sandy and Bruce Kirchhoff are pictured in their new sun room, just completed this summer. The Kirchhoffs spend most of their time in the sun room.

The opening from the dining room to the sun room used to be sliding glass doors that led to a deck.

For-merly a kitchen window, the open-ing now serves as a pass through space from the kitchen to the sun room.

fall, the 17’ by 14’ addition looks like it has always been there. “We had thought about it for four or fi ve years,” Sandy said. “We knew it would be nice being along the river, and the extra space would be good when all the kids are here.”

The Kirchhoffs showed a photo of a sun room they liked to their contractor and he took it from there. “We are just amazed that he could do all of this just from a photo,” Sandy said. The fi rst step in the proj-ect was detaching and moving

their deck and trellis. It was saved to be re-attached later. “It has special meaning because my Dad helped build it,” Sandy said. Her father was the late Erv Sleiter who also helped build the home they are living in and many of the homes in south Humboldt.

Originally planned as a 16’by 14’ addition, it was ex-panded to 17’ by 14’ to work around an existing kitchen window space. The kitchen window now is an open space from the kitchen to the sun room. Sliding glass doors were removed and that area was expanded and now serves as the entrance to the sun room through the dining room. Construction started in June and took about a month to complete. A cement crawl space was built to support the addition. Under the fl oor there is 10 inches of fi berglass insulation, plus four inches of foam insu-lation. They were able to tie into the home’s existing heat-ing and cooling system. The two by six inch exte-rior walls were insulated and house wrap applied. There is 12 inches of fi berglass insu-

lation in the ceiling, plus one foot of blown in insulation. The sun room features 10 patio windows, plus a patio door. The vinyl windows are low e, argon fi lled double pane with a lifetime warranty. Sandy chose an Arizona sand color for the interior walls. The same paint was then used in the dining room. The Kirchhoffs feel for-tunate to have obtained wood stain to match the rest of the house. A neighbor, JoAnn Burns, had a gallon of the fruit wood stain. Sandy said she doesn’t plan to have window coverings . “We like the light. There is only a short time that it gets real sunny. Then the river trees shade it,” Sandy said. A ceiling fan helps circu-late the air. They have a tele-vision in the sun room where

Bruce, Sandy Kirchhoff enjoy new sun room

See Kirchhoff, 11C

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Kirchhoff from 10C

New sliding doors lead from the sun room to the deck.

The Kirchhoffs preserved and re-used the deck and trellis on the house, re-attaching it after the sun room was constructed. Sandy’s father, the late Erv Sleiter, helped construct the deck and trellis.

they spend most of their time. “We’re really happy with the way it turned out,” Bruce said. “I don’t think we’ve sat in our living room since the addi-tion got fi nished,” Sandy said. Their daughter, Tammy, did the landscaping around the ad-dition. Bruce and Sandy are both Humboldt natives. Bruce is a 1962 graduate of HHS and Sandy is a 1964 graduate. They were married in 1965. After high school, Sandy went through the nursing pro-gram in Mason City. She has worked for 37 years at Hum-boldt Care Center South and

continues to work there part-time. Bruce attended Fort Dodge Junior College and studied in the food marketing program. He is retired from Procter and Gamble. The Kirchhoffs have three children. Tammy and Chad Kuker live in Fort Dodge and have three children: Ty-son, eight; Katie, four and Lauren, two. Troy and Jen live in Hum-boldt and have two children: Tanner, 15; and Cade, nine. Tiffany and Mike Clay live in Humboldt and have three children: Brittney, 16; Jacob, 12; and Logan, 11. The Kirchhoffs are mem-

bers of Zion Lutheran Church where Sandy is in the chorus and serves as secretary-trea-surer. She enjoys walking ev-ery day, reading, shopping and following the activities of her grandchildren. Bruce also en-joys following his grandchil-dren and he owned a race car for 12 years, racing in Web-ster City, Alta, Algona, Boone and even Knoxville one time. Bruce and Sandy also enjoy traveling.

The Kirchhoffs moved into their three-bedroom home in south Humboldt in 1972. Over the years, they’ve completed a number of improvements to the home. “We have some land and thought about building a home there, but we enjoy this loca-tion. It’s nice being along the river,” Sandy said. “The sun room is something we’ll en-joy as we get older and travel less.”

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2D The Humboldt Independent Thursday, September 20, 2012

By Kent Thompson During the past seven years, Kevin and Paula Skow have taken a special pride in posting the “SOLD” sign in front of the properties listed with their company, Humboldt Realty. It meant fi nding someone a home they really liked and helping the seller move a prop-

erty they no longer needed. As for the Skows, long be-fore A&E came out with their “Flip This House,” reality TV series, the Skows were do-ing it themselves — purchas-ing properties, fi xing them up and then reselling them — of-ten times living in the homes while the remodels were going on.

Other times, the Skows would fi nd a new place to call home, only to fi nd out some-one wanted it more. They would sell the property and relocate. The term “living out of a suitcase,” seemed to fi t the Humboldt couple who had moved nine times in 12 years. “We don’t collect much,”

Kevin and Paul Skow spend a lot of time in the kitch-en, as both enjoy cooking.

Paula said of the couple’s pen-chant for new places and new spaces. That’s why an anticipated business move and a new resi-dence for the Skows seemed like an unlikely pairing at fi rst. Last winter, the Skows purchased the former Thomas Jewelers building at 608 Sum-ner Avenue. “I originally purchased a lot at the corner of 6th Street South and 1st Avenue South. Then we started looking at available downtown space,” Kevin Skow said. The Skows previously rented space in the basement of the Abens-Marty-Curran/Humboldt Mutual Insurance building at 513 Sumner Ave. “We enjoyed our time there and really miss the people, but the stairs and lighting were diffi cult for some of our cus-tomers,” Paula Skow said. Kevin came across the Curves and Thomas Jewelers building and thought it would make an excellent location for Humboldt Realty. As the Skows were ready-ing to remodel the building for their real estate offi ce, the duplex they were living in also sold. “We thought, why not make living space in the back end of the jewelry store? We wanted to make something cool downtown. It’s just a change in locations. Instead of having the living quarters above the storefront, they’re in the back,” Kevin said. Beginning last Feb. 1, the Skows started a total remodel of the interior of the former jewelry store, taking the build-ing down to the bare block walls, with new studs, sheet-rock, ceilings, fl ooring, wiring and plumbing. “We probably should have

Skows combine work and the pleasures of home

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made a video, because a lot of people can’t believe the change,” Kevin said. The west side of the build-ing had been vacant since Thomas Jewelers closed six years ago. Originally constructed by Sande Construction Company of Humboldt in 1977, Kevin said he was able to take a look at the original blueprint of the building before beginning the remodel. Thomas Jewelers, Lane Clothing and Country Porch were the businesses the build-ing was originally constructed

to house, with Clark Lane and Robert O. Thomas the owners. “We knew we wanted it open and usable,” Kevin said of the offi ce space and living quarters. There were some challeng-es, because it’s a long and fair-ly narrow building, 155-feet long by 19-feet wide, Kevin Skow said. The total square footage is 3,971, that includes a double wide garage and shop area in the back, as the Skows have use of the unfi nished portion of both the building housing Curves and their own business.

“Having a garage and a shop area in the back was re-ally just icing on the cake,” Kevin said of the downtown living quarters. First off, the Skows have developed a modern and very attractive storefront for their realty business, which in-cludes a scrolling TV monitor of available properties in the front window. A new front door, trim and façade helped update the downtown locale. “Because of the narrow width, we had to do a number

Skows from 2D

Kevin and Paula Skows have lived in nine different residences in the past 12 years. They believe they’ve found a place to call home in the converted living space in the back of their Humboldt Realty offi ce, and they are “Enjoying” it.

A modern kitchen with plenty of cupboard space is the fi rst room beyond the of-fi ce area of the Humboldt Realty business.

A bright and well planned front offi ce area is where Paula and Kevin Skow meet with real estate customers at their Humboldt Realty business.

A façade and entrance redesign provided a new look to the 600 block of Sumner,

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mer Thomas Jewelry building. Double wide closets now take up space that previously held precious jewels.

A nice waiting room area was built into the front half of the Humboldt Realty building.

A small master bedroom provides A small master bedroom provides enough room for a bed and a full length enough room for a bed and a full length mirror (not pictured).mirror (not pictured).

See Skow, 4D

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of plumbing cuts in several places to get water where we needed to and yet keep the

space open,” Kevin said. The offi ce area features wood fi ling cabinets and cre-

denza, offi ce desk and confer-ence table. A narrow hallway leads back to Kevin’s offi ce

which is open with a large rectangular desk and mounted fl at screen TV. Kevin’s wildlife prints, which have taken wall space in some of the Skow abodes, are now relegated to the offi ce area. Beyond Kevin’s offi ce is a small waiting area that in-cludes a fainting coach, small wood-framed settee and a pad-ded reading chair. “It’s a nice little room to re-lax in,” Paula said. The offi ce bathroom fea-tures a cherry wood vanity with black granite countertop and theater makeup lights. As a space and storage sav-er, the Skows were able to put in two hallway closets. At the end of the offi ce hallway is the living quarters. The kitchen features knotty alder wood cabinets with mix and match Formica counter-tops to accent the glazed Dura- ceramic beige/gray fl oor tile that are found throughout the offi ce and home. “We wanted it (the kitchen) to be open and usable,” Kevin said. “We both like to cook,” the couple added. Paula said she wanted to do something a little different

with this kitchen. “Kevin is big into oak but we wanted to try something different and go with a more modern décor,” Paula said. There is a large food ser-vice island with inlaid sink in the middle of the room, along with built in locations for all of the stainless steel appliances. The living room features matching his and hers leather recliners and a sofa with ma-hogany end tables and enter-tainment table. The master bedroom and bath is cozy and compact, yet very functional with pocket doors and a large walk-in closet off the bathroom, which Paula labeled as a “must have.” The building features an electric heat pump system to provide dependable and eco-nomical heating and cooling. The Skows were able to move into their downtown apartment in April and love the convenience and simplicity of their new home. Kevin said the home/offi ce concept is really practical from a business standpoint. “On days I don’t have ap-pointments, I have a big shop area to build things and play around,” Kevin said.

“It works great for night and weekend appointments,” Paula added. “It’s pretty neat that I can cook or do laundry while I’m waiting.” “By living here, we can be open longer if need be, or if someone needs something, we can get to a location without having to stop by the offi ce fi rst. “It’s a lot like a duplex. There are no windows and skylights. It might be crazy to some people, but we like it,” Kevin said. “We’ve taken care of prop-erties for so long, the last thing I want to do is mow the lawn when I get home,” Kevin joked. Outside of cleaning the front sidewalk in the winter, the home/offi ce is pretty main-tenance free. In their spare time the Skows enjoy spending time at the lake and enjoying the company of their children and grandchildren. “It’s going to be really nice this winter when it gets dark early and we are just steps way from being home,” Kevin commented. It’s easy to see why the re-altor couple are “SOLD” on their new purchase.

Skow from 4D

Kevin Skow really likes the fact of having a large garage area behind his downtown business and home, facing the alley between Sumner Avenue and 1st Avenue South.

Kevin Skow and wife Paula have been owners of Humboldt Realty for the past seven years.

Rustic tin lettering, ini-tials for “Humboldt Re-alty,” greet customers at Paula Skow’s desk in the front offi ce.

A brightly-colored clock with roman numerals highlights the living room wall space in the modern style décor at the Kevin and Paula Skow home in downtown Humboldt.

The master bathroom has a walk-in shower and countertop basin lavatory. 307 5th Street North • Dakota City • 515-332-1076 • Fax 604-1076

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By Marilyn Dodgen Pat and Barb Colwell own one of the oldest homes in Humboldt, having been built in 1891. On Nov. 1 of that year, it was dedicated as the parson-age next door to the Unitar-ian Church, at 308 North Taft Street. The church was built in 1880, by Humboldt founder Stephen Taft and his fam-ily and church members. By 1925, the Unitarians were no longer worshiping in that facil-ity and the parsonage became a rental property. Ray and Helen Lindhart moved into the church build-ing where they lived, oper-ated their funeral business and raised their three children. They moved in 1961, to the Avery House, at 612 Second Avenue South and the con-

The Pat and Barb Colwell addition will have brick\red shutters that will tie in with the other windows in the house. Landscaping may have to wait until spring.

The Colwell house, The Colwell house, taken before the new taken before the new addition was built.addition was built.

The Colwells enjoy sitting on their new front The Colwells enjoy sitting on their new front porch in the cooling evening temperatures.porch in the cooling evening temperatures.

gregation of Zion Lutheran Church rented the old church building while they built their present complex at 1105 – 11th Avenue North. After a few years as a rental property, the former parson-age was purchased by Minnie (Nelson) Harte and she and her sister, Rose Nelson, lived there for many years. Minnie was 102 years old when she died in 1985. The property had stood vacant for several years. It was then sold at auction and purchased by Don Jensen, who updated the heating system from oil to natural gas and did some other needed repairs. The house was then sold to Dan and Linda Hawkins, who lived there with their young family until the early 1980s. The Colwells purchased the house in 1986, while Pat was

serving his 22 years with the U. S. Navy. Barb and their two sons lived there for seven months. The house was rented for the next six years by the Jerry Knudsens when the Col-wells were stationed elsewhere until Pat retired from the ser-vice in 1993, and moved back to Humboldt. Their fi rst major renovation was updating the very outdat-ed kitchen in 2002. In 2003, they had a two story garage built in front of the old garage and added a covered patio. Over the years, the Col-wells have added a 16’ by 24’ deck with a pergola for shade over white wicker furniture and hanging basket plants. Woodworking is Barb’s hob-by, so most of the projects she built, with Pat helping when

Colwells own one of the oldest homes in Humboldt

See Colwell, 6D

Once-upon-a-time you loved the look of your living space, but now it feels so last-century. If this sounds like you, consider inject-ing new energy into your home by making a few high-impact chang-es without a high-roller budget. Clever use of colors in com-bination with smart lighting can enliven rooms so they give off a more compelling, modern vibe without the need for costly re-modeling projects or expensive furniture. Color both soothes and stirs the senses. Accent walls are a great way to introduce bold color and contrast, infusing a room with a sense of adventure, playfulness or drama. Bring vitality to any room by painting one wall a vivid shade to frame a focal point such as a dramatic piece of artwork. Accent walls are usually solid with no doors or windows, unless there is something special about these features you want to high-light, such as a spectacular view or interesting architecture. If you fi nd yourself intimidat-ed by vibrant colors, use neutral tones on your primary walls with a darker, more intense shade on your accent wall. Lighting is one of the most dramatic areas where things are changing in home décor. Not only are new bulbs such as CFLs and LEDs offering greater energy ef-fi ciency, light fi xture styles and lamp styles are also changing. Remember those recessed lights so popular years ago? De-pending on how they are used to-day, they may make a home look outdated. For the bathroom, use wall sconces placed on each side of the mirror for evenly lighting the face. For bedrooms, living rooms and family rooms choose strong bold shapes for your table and fl oor lamps. Match decorative accessories like pillows and lamps to your ac-cent wall color, incorporating the color, or shades of it, into a variety of textures. Framed photos, an in-teresting vase or impressive plant will stand out well against an ac-cent wall, making the perfect fo-cal point. A buffet lamp (a smaller version of a table lamp) adds am-bience and makes an ideal accent. Giving your home an up-to-date look doesn’t need to break the bank or your back. Simple tweaks can give your interiors a much-needed face lift.

Modernize your home’s interior in a few simple steps

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needed. Inside the house Barb re-built the north wall of the liv-ing room, due to water damage

Colwell from 5Dcaused by lightening striking the chimney to the log-burning fi replace. She built a new oak front and mantel and added

open, oak shelves on either side of the converted gas log fi replace. Their fl at screen television is mounted above

the mantle. Their latest project was beyond her spare time and ca-pabilities, so they hired a con-tractor to add a new sunroom to the front of the house. The addition measures 18’ by 20’ and is surrounded by Pella wind-out, casement windows, with enclosed inner-blinds and roll-up screens. There are two on the north and on the front are two more, with a centered picture window. The section above is holding the space for the stained glass window that was above the original front picture window. This old win-dow has to be refurbished be-fore it can be installed. Barb chose copper accents throughout the room, so she selected copper curtain rods that hold a rust colored valance with embroidered gold leaves and small fl owers. There are matching side curtains, with gold cord trim at the ends of the rods. A double glass-paneled French door opens into the living room. A similar French door on the southeast corner opens onto an open porch that

An intricate, multi-colored tile borders the heated, 13” by 13” tiles inside the front door.

Pat and Barb Colwell are holding three framed pho-tos, of the original house and church, taken back in the early 1900s. The original pictures were provided by the Humboldt County Historical Museum.

Barb used tile purchased in Portugal to fi nish the top of the table of the set brought back from their service years in Spain.

See Colwell, 7D

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has a tile fl oor and will eventu-ally have a hot tub in the cor-ner. This porch measures 12’ by 27’, and extends east from the original front door. A new ramp has replaced the front steps, built by friends for Pat who is recovering from a stroke. (At the back of the house, the half-bath/laundry room has been remodeled by their contractor, with the help of family and friends. It includes a wheelchair acces-sible tiled shower, a non-slip tiled fl oor and safety bars. The adjoining former back porch\sunroom has been converted into a main fl oor bedroom). Inside the front French doors is a 5 ft. deep section of 13” by 13” tile with a fi ve-inch Mosaic border of brown, tan and cream and inserts of copper.

This tiled area extends to the west corner of the room and over to the doorway lead-ing into the living room, pro-viding a protected walkway from any outdoor snow or rain that brings dirt into the entry. From the tiled area to the north wall is an oak fl oor. Barb has used round braided rugs under several pieces of fur-niture to prevent marring the fl oor. In the northwest corner is a darker oak unit that in-cludes a four-shelf bookcase, a laptop armoire style desk and an audio cabinet with storage for DVDs. A fl at screen televi-sion is mounted above. Other furnishings include two matching, sienna brown cowhide recliners with otto-mans, a hanging basket chair from Spain and in the center of the room is a low table and

chairs that were also brought from overseas. The tabletop was created by Barb, using Portuguese tiles that she pur-chased while living in Spain. The tile replaces the glass top that she said was broken years ago. Copper and antique brass fl owerpots, vases and lanterns and furniture door hardware have been used as accents throughout the room. An over-head, copper Harvest Breeze fan, with light, is centered in the 9’ ceiling. More overhead light is provided by four re-cessed light fi xtures. There are also fi ve recessed surround sound speakers in the ceiling. The forced air heating sys-tem and air conditioning was extended to the new room from the house and a full crawl space makes it accessible. The section of fl ooring in-side the door that is tiled is heated. Hot and cold air regis-ters in the fl oor are also copper fi nished. The front master bedroom windows had to be replaced with shorter ones due to the roof pitch of the new room. Brick red shutters will be placed on the front windows to

match the rest of the window shutters on the main house. When designing the new sunroom, the Colwells wanted to preserve the historical es-

sence of the original house. Even on cloudy days the new sunroom is a pleasant place to relax, with plenty of light from the windows. Hope-

fully, the outdoor landscaping can be done yet this fall, com-pleting the overall appearance of the front side of the new room.

Colwell from 6D

An oak and tile fronted fi replace, with side shelves was built by Barb, replacing water-damaged areas caused by lightning striking the chimney.

Matching, cowhide recliners swivel to allow viewing either the television or activities in Taft Park across the street to the east.

The 16’ by 24’ deck and overhead pergola provide a relaxing, summertime area.

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OLSON &HUMBOLDT COUNTY

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company’s founder, Stephen H. Taft, was the original proprietor of the City of Humboldt. Many of the company’s real estate records document the fi rst settlement of the county. We have complete real estate records from the original settlement of the county. We provide a full line of title services, including title abstracting, property and individual searches, and document retrieval. Olson & Humboldt County Abstract Co. is a member of the American and Iowa Land Title Associations.

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By Kent Thompson When Michelle Boying-ton and Jason Meier moved into their home at 910 5th St. S., 1-1/2 years ago, there were many things they liked about the house and also some things they wanted to change and up-date. That process is now under way, with remodeling upstairs and some changes downstairs, as well as exterior modifi ca-tions.

On the outside, the home had been recently resided with some new trim and doors. Last year the couple added a new metal roof to the home. “It’s a greater short-term expense for the benefi t of the long-term,” Michelle said of the roofi ng material invest-ment. Metal roofs offer better heat dissipating properties than other roof types. Surpris-ingly enough, even during se-

vere heat conditions (and there have been plenty of those this summer), metal roofs are able to cool off quickly during the nighttime hours. Another ad-vantage is the durability and lifespan of a metal roof. A metal roof can complete-ly seal out water, survive high winds, and shed snow. It’s re-sistant to fi re, mildew, insects and rotting. “We are happy with it and know that it is going to last for a long, long time,” Michelle said. “We still have some facia and soffi t work to do,” Mi-chelle said. Some of the other complet-ed work included taking out some trees that were too close to the home. The couple also restained the small deck lo-cated off the south side of the house. “We wanted to add a fence outside this summer, but it was so hot, we decided to wait,” Michelle said. The couple has two young children, Carter Meier, 2 ½, and Brooklyn Meier, 1 ½. The kids like to explore in the big back yard and the land around the house. The fence would not only safeguard the children when outside, but would provide the family with added privacy from the street. Located south of the trailer court, the home offers advan-tages of seemingly being in

Boyington fi nds country living in town

Michelle Boyington and children Brooklyn and Carter Meier, live with Mi-chelle’s fi nance Jason Mei-er in south Humboldt. The couple is making gradual home improvements to a well maintained home on 5th Street South.

A new metal roof can dissipate the heat well on warm days, allowing for a house to cool off quicker.

Teal has been chosen as the color for the downstairs living quarters.

See Boyington, 2E

Curious children will put any-thing in their mouths. But many household items can be deadly when swallowed. One of the most dangerous hidden hazards for children is powerful magnets. Unlike those typically found on refrigerators, magnets in children’s toys and even in desk toys marketed for adults can be extremely powerful. When swallowed, these magnets can attract one another internally, resulting in serious injuries, such as small holes in the stomach and intestines, intestinal blockage, blood poisoning and even death. While the Consumer Product Safety Commission has worked with the toy industry to pass stan-dards to prevent magnets from de-taching from toys, parents should always check toys for magnets to ensure that if present, they are secure. Discard any toys that can-not be fi xed and never let children under 6 play unsupervised with magnetic toys. Products labeled for users age 14 and up do not have to comply with the toy safety standard, so parents must be espe-cially vigilant about keeping them well out of children’s reach. Teach your children never to put mag-nets in their mouths. According to the AAP, com-mon abdominal symptoms, such as pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea could be a sign magnets were swallowed. Be sure to seek medical attention immediately if these symptoms occur. Magnets aren’t the only items children are putting in their mouths. In 2010, more than 3,400 children swallowed lithium button batteries, according to the Nation-al Capital Poison Center. Tears in the esophagus and internal bleed-ing are some of the common in-juries associated with swallowing batteries. Keep loose and spare batteries locked away and store any product that uses button bat-teries out of reach. In addition, childproof your medicine cabinet. It’s easy to mis-take a dangerous pill for a deli-cious piece of candy. Lock away your medicine and throw out any old and unnecessary pills. If you suspect your child ingested medi-cation, call Poison Help immedi-ately: 1-800-222-1222. A child’s curiosity can be dangerous. Take the necessary precautions to prevent these situa-tions and be sure you are prepared for anything.

Keeping children safe from hidden household dangers

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Thursday, September 20, 2012 The Humboldt Independent 1E

the country while still being in town. There are corn and bean fi elds next to the house on the south, and across the street to the east. They live not far from where 5th Street turns into 11th Avenue South. The exterior features West-ern Ohio cut stone strategically placed as a pathway from the property’s full circle crushed rock driveway. There is also fi eldstone stairs that lead to the front door. The landscaping helps accent the country nature of the home and the setting. While in the city limits, the Boyington property was origi-nally part of the neighboring farmland, so there is no city water. “We were worried earlier this summer about our well, but everything has held up fi ne, despite the hot weather,” Boyington said. “We lived in Rutland be-fore, and Jason said there was no way he was moving to town, so this is a nice compro-mise, we’re in town, yet we’re surrounded by farm fi elds,” Boyington said. Interior work has been mostly aesthetic in nature so far, with more remodeling under way or in the planning stages. The walls in the downstairs living room were burnt orange and lime green and yellow. The couple repainted those in a teal color. “It makes the inlaid brick fi replace stand out, so we re-ally like that,” Michelle said. A metal spiral staircase that ran upstairs has been tak-en out, with plans for a more “kid friendly,” hideaway wood staircase in the offi ng. The couple is currently re-modeling an upstairs storage area into a master bedroom and bath. “It takes a lot of work, but we are doing it as we have time,” Michelle said. The upstairs features three large elevated windows facing the east and vaulted ceilings that provide an excellent open space to develop a master bed-room. In addition to the upstairs remodel, the plan is to have new carpeting in the down-stairs and also update one of the downstairs bathrooms. Plans also include level-ing the fl oor in the unfi nished basement to provide room for the washer and dryer, which currently sit off the dining

room on the main fl oor. Exterior plans include add-ing a patio and fi re pit out the back door to the west. In addition to some of the exterior features, another thing Michelle really likes about the home is the murals that were painted on the bedrooms. The girl’s room features a meadow scene with fi shes, frogs, butterfl ies, birds, squir-rels and turtles. It is heavy with rich greens and light blue hues. The boy’s bedroom is “all boy,” as they say. It features four-wheelers and motorcycles racing on a motocross track, complete with hills, curves and jumps. It really appeals to young Carter, who is all about cars, trucks and tractors. The open kitchen features a small island nook with a full cabinet and working two-sided porcelain sink and faucet. Exposed cherry wood raf-ters in the interior of the two-story home provide a country feel. There is also track light-ing along the home’s kitchen and dining room area. Modern built-in cabinets are fl anked by two large pic-ture windows in the kitchen and living room.

“We really like looking out the windows across the fi eld. We have seen a lot of deer and some foxes since we have lived here,” Michelle said. “Jason has a big family, so it is nice to have a big, open area for family gatherings and get-togethers,” Boyington said. The old adage about loca-tion being a selling point also applies, as Michelle is just blocks away from her parents and her sister. Both Michelle and Jason work out of Fort Dodge. Mi-chelle works for Heartland Communications, where she keeps busy working on the Farmers Hot Line, a buyers and sellers directory for all kinds of livestock and agricul-tural related products and ser-vices. Jason is independently em-ployed with his family’s truck-ing company. He does a lot of local hauling out of the Fort Dodge area. Michelle likes the roomi-ness of her country-style, in-town house. She hopes with the improvements the family intends to make, that it can be a functional and enjoyable liv-ing quarters for many years to come.

Boyington from 1E

An aggregated fl at stone sidewalk runs from the driveway to the front steps of the house.

The airy openness of the home allows the family to host friends and relatives and also work on home im-provements while remain-ing in the home.

Michelle says she really likes the family’s inlaid brick fi replace, the cen-terpiece of the large living room.

Michelle Boyington in daughter Brooklyn’s bedroom, along with son, Carter. The inviting colors make a perfect play room.

Custom oak cabinetry is build around space for modern appliances in an L-shaped kitchen.

Michelle Boyington and children Carter Meier, 2-1/2 and Brooklyn Meier, 1-1/2, are photographed in Carter’s bedroom with a mural of a motocross track in the background.

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2E The Humboldt Independent Thursday, September 20, 2012

By Jeff Gargano Seeking a more open fl oor plan and additional space for entertaining, the Peyton family purchased a new 1,900 square foot home under construction in the Riverview Heights Ad-dition. “We really liked the house we were in, but there just wasn’t enough room for the

kids to have friends over and for us to have our own space, too,” Gary Peyton said. “I’ve always wanted a new house. We were at my sister’s new condo at Thanksgiving and it had a pretty open fl oor plan, one I wished we had.” Gary’s wife, Sonja, wanted to be on the east side of High-way 169.

“It was pretty limited. This house already had the base-ment in and fl oor on. We felt the timing was right. Our old-est daughter had a few more years of high school. We want-ed her to be able to enjoy it. We wanted our house to be the one the kids came to,” Gary said. The Peytons were able to modify parts of the plans for the home, which has a three-car garage. “The rafters were already ordered, otherwise we would have liked to have had attic storage above the garage. We had that in our previous house and really utilized it,” Gary said. Some of the changes to the plan made by the Peytons included removing a walk-in pantry in the kitchen in favor of additional cupboard space, adding a breakfast nook down-stairs, adding gas fi replaces both upstairs and downstairs, wood on the steps going down-stairs, wide baseboard and trim, and the addition of stone The Peyton family is pictured in front of the stone surrounding their lower level

fi re place. From left to right are: Sonja (holding Millie), Kinzie, Cassie, Karlee and Gary.

Stone adorns the front of the Peyton home.

One of the many custom features of the Peyton kitchen is this large pull out cut-ting board.

The Peyton kitchen fea-tures a one level eating bar with room for six people.

This gas fi replace is located in the main fl oor living room.

A view from the kitchen shows the open fl oor plan at the new home of Gary and Sonja Peyton.

See Peyton, 6E

Peyton family likes open fl oor plan

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Thursday, September 20, 2012 The Humboldt Independent 3E

A spacious walk-in closet is located in the master bedroom.

A custom made medicine cabinet allows for extra storage space in the main fl oor bath.

A basketball court and storage building are located in the backyard of the Peyton home.

A tray ceiling in the living room sets off the room.

The Peytons have both a covered porch and a patio in the back yard.

Between books, toys and years of accumulated “stuff,” a home can feel cluttered. And most families quickly run out of available storage space. However, with a few smart tweaks, you can create new storage solutions for much-needed space, and dramatical-

ly alter the feel, fl ow and look of your home. Furniture can be used for dual purposes to create extra storage space. Beds, for exam-ple, can be built into walls to open up a room. Drawers and other types of storage units can be added into or place under-

neath bed frames. Instead of chairs, use benches with storage under-neath or inside to save space and create an extra area for storage. Like beds, benches can also be built into walls. Consider thickened walls or hidden spaces between

rooms that can be opened up and carved out with shelving or closets. Just be sure your plans don’t pose a confl ict with your electrical wiring or plumbing. Adding shelves to closets will give you more storage fl exibility and make the most of your space. In some cases, you can even remove the doors to those closets for more reach. The added shelves will appear built-in and part of your room. If you have a basement, think about installing shelving units. Take a look at how you currently use your home and consider how rooms might be reworked to create spaces that meet your needs in smarter ways. For example, do you re-ally need to use a spare room as an offi ce? Does your din-ing room go unused because of the seating in the kitchen? Take a look at your home more holistically and determine how each room should and could function. Don’t forget about spaces under stairs. Carve outs or shelving can be added to spots along the wall or staircase, or under the staircase. If you have high ceilings, an architect can help you iden-tify options for building in a completely new storage area. Creating accessory outdoor storage can help you organize and bundle more cluttered items, such as tools and yard equipment. With these types of projects, one must consider zoning regulations and other elements, such as pest, rodent and environmental and tem-perature controls. Ensure that the storage area will serve its purpose and keep your items safe. An architect can help visu-alize storage opportunities that people might not consider or think are feasible. He or she can help you apply many of these storage building solu-tions. Most importantly, before you purge your precious be-longings, take some time to create some space.

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The fi rst lots at the new 71-acre Eagle Ridge housing addition in Humboldt will be auctioned off on Sunday, Sept. 23, at 1:30 p.m. The pre-de-velopment lot auction will be held on the site of the housing development with lots 11-19 offered. Infrastructure is currently being installed. Temporary roads have been graded and rocked so people can view the area. Lots have also been marked out. The auction is being co-ordinated by members of the Humboldt County Housing Development Corporation (HCHDC). The Eagle Ridge Housing Addition can be ac-cessed by turning east off of the end of Elmhurst Avenue in southwest Humboldt. “The auction of lots 11-19 allows people time to plan their new home. If the weather conditions are right, they could actually get their foundation work done before winter,” Dave Dodgen, vice-president of the HCHDC, said. While there are 43 total lots in the development, there will be 22 lots developed in Phase I and the balance of lots of-fered in Phase II of the proj-ect. There is a mix of hillside/riverside/wooded lots ranging in size from one-half acre to nearly three acres. The small-est lot offered is 130’ by 150.’ The remainder of lots in Phase I will be auctioned off in the spring of 2013.

“This is an opportunity to get a jump start and get a good buying opportunity of your choice lot,” Dodgen said. HCHDC President Cheryl Rhead said many of the lots are heavily wooded. “Buying a lot this fall would allow the new owner time to do some clearing and planning for their new home,” Rhead said. The single family residen-tial development is located on land east of Elmhurst Avenue with many of the lots over-looking the west branch of the Des Moines River and the Reasoner Dam. All utilities are being installed to the lots and streets are being paved with curb and gutter. Anyone who purchases a lot will have fi ve years in which to construct a home. The new homes will be eli-gible for a graduated fi ve-year tax abatement program. The Eagle Ridge project comes on the heels of the Riv-erview Heights housing ad-dition, which was a series of developments that started in 2000 and led to the construc-tion of 57 new homes in the city of Humboldt. Those new homes now carry an assessed valuation of more than $12 million. Financing for the develop-ment will come from Tax In-crement Financing (TIF). The housing project will utilize about 35 acres of land. An additional 36 acres of

Standing on what will be Eagle Ridge Drive are Aar-on Burnett, Cheryl Rhead and Dave Dodgen, members of the Humboldt County Housing Development Cor-poration. Lots 11 through 19 at the new Eagle Ridge development will be auctioned off on Sunday, Sept. 23, at 1:30 p.m. The auction will take place at the develop-ment site in southwest Humboldt, just off of Elmhurst Avenue.

Some grading has been completed and gravel laid down to allow people to come and see the lots that will be auctioned off at the Eagle Ridge housing development in southwest Humboldt. Access is off of Elmhurst Avenue. The auction of lots 11 through 19 is set for Sunday, Sept. 23, at 1:30 p.m. at the site of the lots.

Lots 11 through 19 will be auctioned off on Sept. 23 at 1:30 p.m. as development takes off at the new Eagle Ridge housing subdivision in southwest Humboldt.

mostly timber will likely re-main undeveloped. Humboldt City Adminis-

trator Aaron Burnett said there has already been a lot of inter-est in the project. Burnett has

more information available at Humboldt City Hall, or peo-ple can call (515) 332-3435.

People can also visit the city’s website www.ci.humboldt.ia.us for more information.

First auction for Eagle Ridge housing addition is Sept. 23

The Peyton kitchen is open to the dining room and living room.

The varied heights of the cupboards give a unique look to the kitchen.

The Peytons chose to use a laminate countertop in the kitchen.

A close up of the Peyton fi re pit area.

Stone surrounds the gas fi replace in the lower level of the Peyton home.

Thursday, Month 00, 2012 The Humboldt Independent 5E

to the front of the house. The original plan called for a raised eating bar in the kitch-en, which is open to the dining room and living room. “We made it all one level for more usable space,” Sonja said. They have six bar stools at the eating bar. The black kitchen sink faces out towards the living room and dining room. Black appliances were chosen along with custom built oak cupboards and lami-nate countertops. The interior walls were painted tan and the plush low level shag carpet matches the earth tone colors. Laminate wood fl ooring was used in the kitchen and linoleum in the bathroom/laundry room on the main fl oor. A stackable washer and dryer were chosen for the main fl oor laundry room.

The main fl oor has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master bedroom has a large walk-in closet. Downstairs is a large fam-ily room with stone fi replace, big screen television with sur-round sound, eating bar and several canned lights in the nine foot high ceiling. There is an exercise room/offi ce, furnace room that dou-bles as a storage area, plus a tornado shelter covered on all sides by concrete. There is one bedroom downstairs and a full bath with another stackable washer and dryer. Plans call for the down-stairs to be decorated in an Iowa State theme. Egress windows let in an abundance of light to the lower level.

Some additional features of the house include surround sound both downstairs and up-stairs. Speakers were located throughout the house and even on the patio. Gary installed a central vacuum system, in-cluding a handy connection under the kitchen sink for easy cleaning in the kitchen area. There is a security system in-stalled. Solid core oak arch doors were chosen along with nickel plated lever handles. There are ceiling fans in each room. A high effi ciency furnace coupled with two by six insu-lated walls mean heating and cooling bills are more reason-able than expected. The house is so tight an air exchanger helps bring in fresh air. Outside, a colored concrete patio with a fi re pit and sitting wall was installed. There is also a basketball court for the kids, and a 10’ by 20’ storage shed. In the garage and basement furnace room, Gary chose to use car siding instead of sheet-rock to make it easier to hang items to store. One of Gary’s biggest chal-lenges this year was keeping his new lawn going during the extreme drought. “It takes about fi ve to six hours a day to water it,” Gary said. They plan to do landscap-ing next year. The Peytons moved into their new home at the end of May. They were fortunate enough to have sold their home in south Humboldt and were able to rent it back from the new owners until the new house was completed. The Peytons have three children: Karlee, 16 a junior at HHS; Cassie, 13, a seventh grader at Humboldt Middle School; and Kinzie, nine, a third grader at Taft Elemen-tary. Gary is a Coggon native and a 1984 graduate of North Linn High School. He ob-tained a double major in ag business and ag education from Iowa State University in 1989 and started working for Continental Grain in their Wayne Feed division. It was while training in Humboldt for 16 months that he met his future wife, the former Sonja DeWinter. Gary was assigned a district in Batesville, IN, where he worked for a little over a year. Gary and Sonja were mar-ried in 1992. Gary then accept-ed a position with Beam In-dustries in Webster City where he worked for seven years. Sonja is a 1988 graduate of HHS. She obtained an AA degree from DMACC and then double majored at UNI in el-ementary education and early childhood. She taught (fi fth grade for three years and sev-enth grade for three years) and coached basketball and volley-ball in Webster City. In early 2000, the Peytons moved to Humboldt. Sonja started teaching kindergarten at Mease Elementary School during the 2000-2001 school year and remains a kindergar-ten teacher there today. Gary started with EFM in Humboldt in 2001. He is one of the owners of the company, which now employs eight peo-ple. “If we could have changed the fl oor plan, we might have done a few things different like make the main fl oor laundry room bigger and had storage above the garage,” Gary said. “We love our new neigh-bors and love being on a cul-de-sac,” Sonja said. “We’re happy with the way it turned out. It’s home.”

Peyton from 10D

The lower level bath-room also has a stackable washer and dryer.

A carpet runner is sur-rounded by oak on the stairway heading to the lower level.

This view shows the expanse of the lower level family room.

The main entrance to the Peyton home features tile fl ooring.

The dining room in the Peyton home has sliding doors that lead to a covered porch and patio area.

Rick Titus of Clarion started his business, called “The Country Store”, in 1975 and even though he has moved into town now, he has no intention of retiring any time soon. “l enjoy and love doing this.” said Titus. “I’ve covered every corner of the state because I’m an expert, and that is not meant as a boast. I don’t think anyone else in the state does exactly what

-

Rick Titus in his 37th year of selling and installing more

- photo by Les Houser, Wright County Monitor

made at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa,” said Titus. “When we moved back here 3 years later, I decided I was going to call them and become a dealer.” Titus was soon displaying the units at county fairs and got some business. But then in checking back with his customers, to his amazement, he found out they were sending most of the heat up the chimney.

was selling wood stoves, but not everyone wants a wood stove in their home. Then I found out about the Fuego Flame Fireplaces,

in Des Moines.

winter long, and rarely hear their furnace kick on. Thus they save a tremendous amount of fuel each month. These inserts literally pay for themselves by saving the customers fuel,” Titus says. The inserts are made using 12-guage steel, which Titus said transmits

send all their heat up the chimney.” -

ney. The insert damper control is on the inserts face plate, so you can close the doors and then close the damper. The inserts

enjoy watching the slow burning logs inside. These twin doors are easy to clean with very little effort. “Remember when you

will keep you toasty warm, and keep the pipes from freezing in your home.

all the work myself,” said Titus. “I don’t even charge for estimates when I come into your home. I feel an in home visit is the only way I can know exactly what the customer needs.” Titus is also not afraid to tackle, or at least look at, any chimney problems

to do this, but it will be done right and you’ll never need to do anything more with it.” Titus has even thought of people who like

com, or email him at [email protected]. “We don’t know what the future holds for our electrìcal system in this country,” said Titus. “If someone wants to control us, they could cut off the electricity, food supply, or disrupt our fuel. Everyone should have a way to heat their home without electricity.”

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